The Chosen Path
by MistressB
Summary: “I love you, mum, dad.” She said over the roar that had permeated the cabin, for what she was sure would be the last time. She couldn’t believe how quickly it had changed from an uneventful flight, too this.. With one event, so many lives can be changed..
1. The Sky Falls Down

Disclaimer: I do not own the delightful Harry Potter universe or any of the residents within, unfortunately.

A/N: I know, I know. I have so many stories going on right now, however.. I get bored to quickly when I focus on only one story at a time. I am still working on the others, just in turns. Anyways, read it and tell me what you think of the beginning.

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The Chosen Path

Chapter One: The Sky Falls Down…

Mistress B

_Goodnight, sleep tight, no more tears,_

_In the morning I'll be here_

The sky outside the window was a clear cerulean blue, the clouds underneath the plane soft and white. Looking out past her mother, her father's hand in her own, she had never been happier. Her fear of heights she had put on hold, at least for the flight to and from America. She had had the best week of her life, starting with the news when she came off of the school train that her parents had relented, and they were going to a seminar on the magical world, put on for muggle family members of a witches and wizards. It was held in Chicago, and had been quite informative for her mother and father, delivered by a muggle-born witch, which, because of her knowledge of both worlds, was very easy for her parents to understand.

They had enjoyed the 4 days in Chicago, and then today had headed to the airport, ready to return to their home. They were in England now, not long until they would land and be on their way home. Her mother was humming and drawing to Hermione's right, the sketchpad her mother had taken up carrying with her full of pictures of the sights in Chicago, an old man out feeding pigeons, a young boy climbing on a steel jungle gym. Among those sketches were ones of Hermione and her father, walking down the road looking back at Hermione's mother and beckoning with their hands, sitting in a café debating something the witch had explained in the seminar that day.

Her father sat on her left, watching the movie and holding lightly to Hermione's hand as his eyes followed the old movie. Hermione had a book open on her lap, one written by the witch who had presented the seminar, a notebook open on top of that and a pencil tucked behind her ear. She was going over the points the woman had made, arguing them lightly in her notebook, her small, neat writing filling pages on pages just in debating with numerous books. She did this often, to keep her debate skills, that she so enjoyed using, in top form. She had so little practice in school, since she was always around Ron and Harry, who she couldn't stand debating with. They never realized that, a good deal of the time, she wasn't angry. She supposed it was what she got in return for having two good intentioned but undeniably dull-witted boys for best friends.

_And when we say goodnight_

_Dry your eyes because_

She turned from the window and yawned lightly, sitting back against the comfortable seat, her fingers running quickly through her dark brown hair. She pulled the pencil out from behind her ear and put it again to the paper, reading the next point that the witch made. With a shake of the head, she began writing quickly, the pencil flying over the paper as her eyes followed her progress. She was bent over the notebook when the first tremors went through the plane, and she looked up, frowning lightly and glancing around. Her mother was slowly signing her name to the bottom of the page she was working on, a drawing of her, her mother, and her father. She glanced to her father, whose eyes never left the screen.

As if sensing her panic, her father turned, smiling comfortingly to her. "It's all right, honey. It's just a bit of turbulence. It always happens." He said, giving her hand a small squeeze. She frowned and looked at her mother, who smiled and carefully tore the picture out of the notebook.

"Here. Spend time on this, instead of worrying about things that will do you no harm." Her mother said, laughing lightly. Hermione smiled and took the picture; looking at the drawing her mother had spent her time on with a small smile.

"It's lovely, mum." She said, looking at her mother and grinning. Her mother just smiled and looked out the window. Hermione tucked the drawing into a small pocket in her jacket, turning back to the notebook in front of her. She had written about half of a paragraph when the tremor began again, this time worse than before. She looked around again and saw a red blinking light, signalling that they were to fasten their seatbelts. She shakily did as instructed; trying to keep the calm her parents were showing. It wasn't until she saw her mother's shaking hand that she realized that her mother was afraid as well. "Mum?" She asked shakily, her eyes wide.

Her mother looked at her and smiled. "I never liked flying," She admitted, shrugging softly. Hermione relaxed again. Her mother was just afraid of flying. That didn't mean she was afraid for her life, Hermione told herself. She had just calmed herself when a voice came over the intercom.

_We said goodnight_

_And not goodbye_

"Flyers, this is your captain speaking. I'm afraid we've had a bit of a malfunction. If you would please return to your seats and fasten your seat belts, I am sure we will have this under control in no time at all." Hermione wanted to be comforted by the captain's words, but found she was breathing heavily. A shrill cry from behind her didn't help matters any. She let out a sharp sob and her mother's arm went around her shoulders, her father's thumb stroking her hand lightly.

"It's all right, Hermione darling." Her mother whispered in her ear. "We'll be right here until this is all over. We'll always be here for you." She promised softly, her words shaky as if she, too, fought tears.

Her father was stroking her mother's hair, murmuring things into her ear over top of Hermione's head. Hermione felt a tear slide down her cheek, and as another tremor shook the plane, this worse than either of the ones before, she heard herself sobbing louder. Things fell out of overhead bins, indeed the whole plane seemed as if a giant had taken hold of it in its palm and began to shake it about. She hugged her father and mother tightly too her, as if they would fall away from her. "It's all right, honey. We'll be right here." Her father said to her softly, reaching his hand to stroke her cheek softly, brushing away her tear. "We'll be on ground in no time at all, hugging each other and glad to feel the firm ground once more beneath our feet. This will all seem just a bad dream tomorrow" She heard him mutter softly to her mother.

Oxygen masks fell from above them, and her father, who often had found himself travelling in airplanes, helped her mother and her attach the masks over their mouths and noses. She was crying heavily, fear gripping her. The plane continued shaking, tossing from side to side, and as she looked out of the window, she found they were quickly approaching the clouds, then they were enveloped by the cover of white. She knew they were going down, and she was afraid she wouldn't make it out alive. Her mother and father, they would be devastated. Their only daughter, killed in a plane crash. She wouldn't entertain the idea that her parents would be the ones lost; indeed, the idea was ludicrous to her.

The last moments before the plane hit were a blur, but as the ground steadily approached, she stared in her mother's eyes, gripping both of her parent's hands in her own. "I love you, mum, dad." She said over the roar that had permeated the cabin, for what she was sure would be the last time. She couldn't believe how quickly it had changed from an uneventful flight, too this.

"We love you too, darling. Just close your eyes, and when this is all over, we'll both be there for you. Think of your lullaby, darling." Came the answer.

Her mother's warm, caramel eyes swallowed hers, and she found herself unable, indeed unwilling, to look away. Her father's hand gripped hers, and she gripped right back. As the plane impacted the ground, she felt one last tear slide down her cheek, and as the screams engulfed her, so did a smothering darkness. Her eyes closed.

_We said goodnight_

_And not goodbye…

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Song: Goodnight, Evanescence (That song will come into play again, as a lullaby she remembers)

Hope you enjoyed. Review!

Mistress B.


	2. The Reasons

Disclaimer: Aside from my dear Taylor, Gabriel, Raylee, and the cook, I don't own anything in the Harry Potter universe. Much to my misfortune.

A/N: I hope you enjoy the chapter, read it and tell me what you think. Much thanks to my reviewer, IsabellaPaige, and I hope you like this chapter as well.

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The Chosen Path

Chapter Two: The Reasons

Mistress B

_Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming_

_Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights_

She awoke with the lights surrounding her, so many lights. She tried to raise an arm to shield her eyes, but found she couldn't move. 'Where am I?' she tried to ask, but no words came from her lips. Then, a new question arose. 'Who am I? What am I doing here?' she wished she could scream these questions out, but as she attempted to move, a searing pain spread through her.

"Miss, you can't move yet. You will cause yourself too much pain." Came a soft voice to her left. She opened her mouth and found a straw being inserted. She drank greedily, realizing as soon as the first drop of water hit her tongue how thirsty she truly was. "Try again, miss." Said the person to her left. She opened her mouth and let out a moaning sound.

She tried again. "Wh…" She trailed off with a moan. "Where…" She tried to complete the sentence, frustrated that she couldn't. Tears trailed down her cheeks, leaving a burning trail in their wake. A silhouette rose above her, blocking away some of the bright white lights.

"It's alright, Miss. You are in a hospital; you're in good hands. It's all being taken care of." She moaned softly in confusion, and the voice continued. "You've been in and out of consciousness for the past two weeks. You had surgery earlier today, so we have you on some major painkillers along with your antibiotics. You won't have much feeling for a week or so, and then you will inevitably be wishing for more of these painkillers." She moaned again. The person came closer, and she could make out a kind looking young man, his sandy hair falling in front of his grey eyes. "You had some injuries to your legs. That was the need for the surgery." She moaned and tears fell down her cheeks again. "Miss, you need to stop crying. The tears are getting into the cuts, and I'm afraid that might cause you more pain."

She blinked back her tears and looked wearily up at the man. "What?" She forced out.

"What happened?" He asked, and she nodded her head softly, wincing a bit as she did so. "You were in a plane crash, Miss. You were one of the only survivors. You didn't have any identification…" He paused and looked at her warily. "Do you remember anything about it?" She shook her head, the stiffness in her neck receding. He sighed and nodded softly. "The doctors were afraid of that." He said, turning away. "You have a visitor, in any event. He saw your picture in the news, on the list of survivors. He came right afterwards, fearing for your safety." He smiled warmly at her and stepped away from the bed, and once more she found herself blinded.

The man was soon back, though, propping her up so that she was no longer being blinded. What had appeared to her a white room was in truth a cream colour, with green splattered throughout in the many plants that covered the room. She saw a man in the doorway, his black hair shining under the bright lights. He stepped closer and she saw that his eyes were a shocking ice blue colour, and his tan skin had a warm tone to it. He waited until the orderly left, and he sat down on the chair. "Hello, young one." He said, his voice accented and heavy, the Italian tones sliding over her. "I was given instructions to care for you until you are back at school." He said abruptly.

She noticed a piece of yellow paper gripped in his hands and looked up at him wearily. "They say you will be out of the majority of these bandages in the next few days. Then, within the next week, you will return to my home with me. I have already hired a nurse and a physical therapist, to help with your recovery. When it is time for school, you will be taken there on the train, along with the other students, and then you will get your own room in your dorms." Her mind spun.

_Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming_

_The Goddess of Imaginary light_

"School?" she asked hoarsely. He nodded, gazing around the room. "What school?" she said softly, her voice cracking heavily.

"That is a subject for when you are feeling better. Until now, young one, you must sleep." She wanted to refuse, to yell at him, to order him to answer her, but instead, her eyes fell shut and she dozed.

She was kept at the hospital for what seemed an interminable amount of time, although in truth, it was but ten days. The nurses and orderly called her Miss, never another name given to her, and the black haired man did not return. The bandages were removed, and when she looked in the mirror, it was as if she had never seen herself before. She knew nothing about how she was supposed to look, but the way she did look seemed… wrong. Her cheeks were too slim, her lips too full, and her nose seemed wider than it should have been. She ran a hand through the hair that fell about her, amazed at its thickness and just plain curliness. It seemed right, though, the way it was. Not that she was fond of it.

She found out that her legs were barely able to lift her, and that only therapy would bring it back to the way they once were. The doctors said that, if she couldn't afford therapy, that even without it she would walk, although she would have a limp. She had been brought the clothes she had worn the day of the crash, a pair of dark blue jeans, a black t-shirt and a nylon jacket, and they were on her bed, waiting for her to pull them on. She would need help with the pants, both to get them on without standing, but also to pull the fabric over the bandages that were still wrapped around the stitches. She would have scarring, they said, and probably bad.

They had admitted, when she had said that her face seemed strange, that they had had to do some miracles to get it to heal as quick as it did, and without visible scarring. They had had to do some major surgery the very day of the crash, to reconstruct her face, and indeed underneath the bandages that had just recently been removed, there had been a myriad of stitches and cuts. The surgery hadn't been major, for all that they had needed to do, and in fact was quick, but none of them had known how she had truly looked, so they had done the best they could.

She couldn't fault them, though. It was a stunning face, if not the one she had expected to see when she had had the bandages removed. The brown hair, yes, the caramel eyes, yes. The lips had been the first thing she had seen, and that was enough to have her eyes widening. She was to be picked up today, and so she was sitting in front of the mirror, examining the red marks that were all that remained of the stitches they had so expertly given to her. She wheeled herself to the bed and pulled off the shirt she had been wearing, reaching for the black t-shirt.

_In my field of paper flowers_

_And candy clouds of lullaby_

_I lie inside myself for hours_

_And watch my purple sky fly over me_

She pulled it over her head and on, and then reached for the jeans. She had just taken them into her hands when she remembered that she couldn't put them on herself. She sighed heavily and wheeled herself to the door, poking her head outside where the sandy haired orderly was waiting. "You knew?" She asked, blushing. He chuckled.

"Yes, I knew you would need help." He answered, walking around her and taking the handles to the wheelchair, pushing it to the bed. He put his arms around her and sat her onto the mattress, then pushed her back a bit. "Hold yourself up so that I can get these pyjama bottoms off." He said. She sighed and held her hips off of the bed. "Thank you." He said softly.

She was used to this, being assisted by the orderlies and the nurses. In fact, she was more comfortable with this kind haired young man that any of the others in the hospital. "Taylor, I'm not sure I know the man who is taking me to his home." She confided. Taylor looked up from unbuttoning the jeans, an eyebrow raised. "I mean, usually I can at least sort of recognize things, like that jacket." She said, nodding her head to the nylon jacket. "I just don't feel any recognition." She said, sighing.

Taylor laughed, sliding the jeans over her hips and stepping back, allowing her to finish. "You need to lighten up, Miss. It'll all be fine. You said he was sent to take you to his home, so maybe your guardian or some such thing was too busy to come himself, and so sent him." He said, leaning against the wall as she did up the button on her jeans. When she finished, he came to her side and assisted her into the wheelchair. "And anyways, you will do fine no matter where you go." He said offhandedly. She smiled and looked up at him gratefully. "I suppose I should get you to the waiting room." He murmured, gathering up the pyjamas that had been given to her and packing up the few things she had.

She smiled and glanced around the room where she had all of her memories. This room was all she could remember, before was nothing but a blur. Sometimes, she had the faint memory of certain things, a small house with two people, one a brunette woman, the man sandy haired. She wished she could put names, or even faces to the figures. She couldn't though, and so she tended to pay no attention to the fogs of half memories. This room was the centre of all the solid memories she had, and because of it, she felt a sort of fondness for the plain room. She took the bag from Taylor and set it on her lap, then waited for him to wheel her out of the room. The nineteen year old had become her friend in the short time she had been in the hospital, talking to her when she would have been completely lonely. Their conversations had made her time at the hospital bearable.

She looked back at him, and tilted her head softly. "How can I get a hold of you?" She asked, and he looked down and smiled.

"I'll write out my telephone number and my address, and you can get a hold of me either way." He said as they entered the waiting room. The black haired man was there, standing by the door and glancing around. When he noticed her, he pushed himself off of the doorframe and started over. Taylor crouched down next to her and smiled softly, folding her fingers around a piece of paper. "Don't forget about me, Missy." He said lightly, and she smiled softly, tucking the paper into a pocket and patting it lightly.

"I won't if you don't." She said, reaching out and running her fingers through his hair. The black haired man reached them then, and coughed lightly.

_I linger in the doorway_

_Of alarm clock screaming monsters calling my name_

"Young one. We must be off." He said. She nodded and Taylor stood, waved, and left. The black haired man took the handles and pushed her out of the hospital, and she couldn't help but send a sad glance backwards. The black haired man chuckled and shook his head. "You won't miss it much when he comes to talk to you." He said softly.

She frowned. "He? Who is he?" She asked, turning back and looking up at him. He looked down and smiled warmly.

"The headmaster of your school. Which, I have to tell you, is starting in less than four weeks." He said, stopping the wheelchair beside an expensive looking green vehicle. "You will not need this?" he asked this, and she shook her head.

"I can walk, just… It hurts, after a while, and I don't have much strength for holding myself up." The black haired man helped her into the car, and then moved around to the back of the vehicle, lifting the trunk. She glanced around and took in the interior of the car, the leather seats and dash, and she smiled. It was a nice car. The black haired man opened the driver side door and slid into the car, and she pulled the seat belt on. "Who are you?" She asked.

"My name is Gabriel Valero. Your headmaster has appointed me your guardian." He said idly, pulling the car out of the parking lot and driving through the city streets, "Now, I never met you before the accident, but I assure you, I intend to take good care of you." He said, smiling over at her. She nodded.

"My Headmaster… Have I met him before?" She asked, fiddling with the nylon jacket. She didn't like not knowing things.

"Ah, yes. Yes you do. Albus Dumbledore has been your headmaster for five years, you will be starting your sixth year." He said, turning the car onto an exit.

"Sixth year… But I don't even know what school I am going to. And I don't know anything that I learned before." She protested. Gabriel chuckled.

"I will save those questions for your headmaster to answer. Until he gets here, though, I cannot continue calling you young one. What would you like for your name, since I do not know yours?" He asked.

She thought, smiling softly as she remembered Taylor's affectionate goodbye. "Missy. Missy is good." She said. Gabriel smiled and nodded.

"Melissa Valero. It has a certain ring to it, no?" He asked. She smiled and nodded.

"So I am now a Valero?" She asked uncertainly.

"Unless you wish for a different name. Remember, this is only until you remember. If you wish to change it when your memory returns, your teachers and I will understand your decision. But until then, we cannot have you running around with no name for us to call you. And Valero is as good a surname as any, no?" he asked. She nodded. "Also, if you have my name, you will not be questioned when we go to the bank and have you added to my account." She stared at him.

"Your account?" She said dumbly.

"Yes, if you are to live with me, you will be as my daughter. In that regard, you will need to have access to my money so that you will be able to, well, do whatever it is that teenage girls do." He said. She laughed lightly and gazed out the window.

_Let me stay where the wind will whisper to me_

_Where the raindrops as they're falling tell a story_

"So, I am to become, in name, a Valero, and in idea, your daughter." She muttered. "I suppose that I do need a last name." She nodded. "I think this will be alright." She said, looking over at Gabriel. "What am I to call you, then?" She said. He laughed.

"Gabriel is as good as anything, no?" He said, looking over at her. She smiled and nodded.

"Alright Gabriel. Now that we have been introduced, I think I would like to know where we are going." She said. Gabriel nodded.

"I live in a guest house of one of the more influential members of certain circles while I am in England. I do live, in truth, in Italy, in a beautiful palazzo, with vineyards and gardens that sprawl over a large estate." He said. "But I could never bring myself to buy another estate here, it seems like I am abandoning my family home. So, I live on the grounds of an extremely wealthy family, although I paid for the construction of the house and the upkeep. We will be staying there for three weeks, and then we will go into London and stay there while we get your school things." He said. "But until your headmaster arrives, Missy, you need not worry about school. Enjoy your time here, lounge about, go on horseback rides, do whatever you please. The owner of the grounds has given permission for you to visit, as well, but only on certain days. They have no daughters, but a son your age, and if you find him a bore or something, you can always visit with the lady of the house."

Missy, as she tried to get used to being called, nodded and smiled. "I will go there, someday, and meet them." She said, looking out the window at the field that spread out for as far as she could see.

Gabriel smiled. "Now, you can sleep, young one. It will be some time before we get even to the gates of the estate, and some time before we each our home after that. We will pass the main house before we reach our own, and I will be sure to wake you at the gates so you can see your new home." He said softly. Missy smiled and lay back, closing her eyes.

Gabriel woke her what seemed a short time after, although the sun was already setting. Large wrought iron gates rose in front of the car, and a man was coming towards the car. The guard glanced in before smiling. "Mr. Valero, welcome back. And this is?" He asked, pointing towards Missy.

Gabriel looked over and smiled. "That is my daughter, Melissa." He said, and the guard smiled.

"I did not realize you had any children. As far as I knew, you were unwed." Gabriel shrugged.

"I have many things that no one knows. My daughter was one of those things. But, I felt it was time she joined me here." He said, and the guard chuckled.

"She doesn't look much like you. She is a brunette." The guard pointed out. Missy looked up.

"I dyed it. Black hair didn't seem to suit me, although I have been contemplating putting it to rights." She said idly, a bored expression on her face. "Now, I would like to see my father's home, if you may?" She said, raising an eyebrow and gesturing towards the gate. The guard laughed.

"Now I see the resemblance, Mr. Valero. Miss Valero." He said, nodding to them each and jogging to the guardhouse. The gate opened slowly when he disappeared inside, and Gabriel slowly accelerated the vehicle, entering the grounds.

She looked back and saw script on the top of the gate, but could not make it out from the angle she was on. She turned and looked back at the grounds, then heard Gabriel chuckling. "What's funny?" She asked, looking over at him.

"That was ingenious. The guard believed you were truly my daughter, probably your tone of voice, one that expects everyone to jump at your command. It was truly inspired." She blushed and shrugged.

"I had to give some reason for our different hair colours, since he brought it up. It was the first I thought of." She said, and then paused. "I do want to try my hair black, though." She said, quieter. Gabriel laughed.

"I'll allow it, but not until the Headmaster has visited. Until then, you will focus on resting and working with your therapist so that you will be walking by the time school begins. I spoke to the doctors, and they said it is likely you will be walking by the time we go into town for your school things, although they say you will probably tire quickly, unless you work on walking often during the time you are here. They say you will likely be running about by this time in two months." Gabriel said, and then pointed off to the right. "There it is, the main house." She gasped as she looked at the huge house.

_If you need to leave the world you live in_

_Lay your head down and stay awhile_

The house looked to be about five stories, and had two wings off of the main house. The wings swept off to either side, and the whole front yard was filled with gardens. There was a sweeping staircase to the front doors, and the cherry oak of the double doors and the black of the roof complimented the red brick of the walls. Large trees dotted the yard and gardens, and Missy couldn't help but feel awe at the beautiful mansion. "It's beautiful." She said shortly, looking back as they passed the mansion.

"Aye, that's the Manor for you, as the family fondly calls their home. Their forefather, one Tobias Malfoy, built it long ago and the home has been passed through their family since then. There is only one Malfoy heir now, the owner's son, and he stands to inherit everything, as there is no one else with the Malfoy name." He said.

"But there must be someone who is a Malfoy, but does not have the name. Wouldn't they inherit?" Missy asked idly, looking out the window at the trees that passed.

"No. The Malfoy family is all for honour to the Malfoy name, and no other. They do not stand for anyone else to inherit anything from them, unless they too are of the Malfoy name." Gabriel explained. Missy frowned, but nodded all the same. She couldn't say she understood it, but to each their own. She smiled as she glanced outside at the trees that shadowed the lane they drove on, contentment flooding through her.

"It truly is beautiful, all of it." She said idly, glancing over at Gabriel. He smiled and turned the car, following the curve of the lane.

"That it is, Melissa. It has, reportedly, always been quite something to behold, the acres full of pastures where their horses are bred, their own private lake, complete with beach house and dock… Yes, it is quite the house." Gabriel said. "But I cannot wait for you to see my home… That is, if you wish to, by the time next summer has come along. You may find some other place to spend your time…" Missy laughed.

"Of course I'll come visit next summer, Gabriel!" She said, smiling lightly and reaching over to touch his arm. "You've already become my favourite guardian!" She said lightly. Gabriel looked over at her and shook his head.

"I'm your only guardian, young one." He said. Missy laughed and nodded.

"I know. I just wondered if you would catch that as well." She said, shrugging. "Anyways, am I going to have to work on an Italian accent? You know…" She adopted a fake Italian accent, joking around. "So I can pass as your daughter, long hidden away in the fields of Italy?" She said. Gabriel rolled his eyes and laughed.

"That has got to be one of the worst accents I have ever heard." He said, sending Missy into a fit of laughter.

"I know, but it was worth the look on your face." She admitted, giggling lightly. She collapsed into her seat, random giggles still breaking free from her calm demeanour, and again watched the trees pass. Gabriel slowed as they approached a curve and glanced over at her.

"Up ahead is our home." He said softly, and Missy leaned forward, hoping to catch her first glimpse of the house that would become her home, at least during the summer. She wasn't disappointed when they finally rounded the corner, although it wasn't as large or as extravagant as the Malfoy Manor. The house was three stories, and large but not overly so. There were no wings off to the side, and, all in all, it reminded her of an old Victorian home. It was of grey brick, and a wrap around porch surrounded the front and sides. A large window was at the very top, beaming down from a gable, and Gabriel pointed to it. "You will have your choice of that room," He said gesturing to the window from the gable, "Or else one on the other side, that looks down over the orchards." He smiled. "You can have either, or both. They have both been designed for a young woman, and both vacant." He said. Missy sensed a sort of regret at his words, but kept her silence, instead gazing at the house.

_Though you may not remember dreaming_

_Something waits for you to breathe again_

"It is beautiful, Gabriel. I can say with utmost confidence, that I will love my time here." She said, smiling and gazing over the grounds around the house. Again, the front yard was spotted with gardens and benches, a fountain and bushes, statues and numerous other lawn ornaments. It was beautiful, and words couldn't express it well enough for her liking. She put her hands in her pockets and waited as Gabriel stepped out of the vehicle, heading around to the back where she knew he had put the wheelchair, despite her saying she didn't need it. As she thought, he wheeled it around to her door, opening it for her and stepping away. She slid herself from the seat to the wheelchair, and then wheeled herself from the doorway so that Gabriel could shut the door.

He took the handles and smiled. "There are a variety of clothes, although whether they are to your liking or not I'm not sure. In any matter, they will suffice until we go into town. Then, along with your school things, we will get you a whole new wardrobe, all to your own specifications." He said, and Missy looked back at him, disbelieving. He was so kind, giving her so much. His name, his home, his money… She was dumbstruck by it all. His generosity was enormous, and Missy couldn't help bet feel she need to give him something in return.

"I… I don't know how I'll ever repay you, Gabriel." She said softly, glancing at the house he led her to. He laughed and shook his head, reaching out with a hand and patting her shoulder.

"Just be the daughter I was never able to love, to be blessed with." He said, manoeuvring the wheelchair up the steps. "Do that, and I will consider all debts repaid in full, with interest," He said lightly, stepping in front of the wheelchair to open the doors. She gasped as she caught her first glimpse of the house that was to be her new home, with a sweeping staircase from the entrance hall, tile floors, and warm wooden panelling on the walls. She eyed the stairs dubiously, and looked up at Gabriel. He laughed and followed her gaze. "Oh, do not worry, young one. The therapist says that you are to sleep on the first floor to begin with, and then, slowly, you will begin using the stairs as a tool, strengthening your legs. She was truthfully very happy to see them, especially the banisters." He quipped, and Missy laughed lightly.

The day had left her dazed, and the rest of the tour was quick. She would have known by a single glance at the interior of the house that Gabriel was wealthy, but when she combined that with the knowledge of his estate in Italy, the depth of his wealth astounded her. She didn't know who he was, but he had to be of some reputation within the higher levels of society.

Dinner that day was a simple affair, with Missy sitting on a barstool at the kitchen counter and Gabriel sitting on the counter across the room, simple pasta on the plates they ate from. Garlic toast was served with the pasta, and Missy had to congratulate Gabriel on the cook he had. He shrugged and explained that she had started cooking in the estate in Italy, and Gabriel couldn't part with her fine cooking, not to mention his home language of Italian. "Unfortunately, she absolutely refuses to learn more than Basic English, but I think that with you around, she will relent and learn some more." He said, finishing his pasta and placing his plate on the counter. The cook bustled in then, speaking quickly in Italian, and Gabriel laughed lightly before turning to Missy. "She says that you are a stunning girl, and that she will soon teach you Italian." He said, chuckling still. Missy laughed and smiled at the woman. Her black hair was similar to Gabriel's, although hers had a blue sheen under the lights. Her hazel eyes were warm and sparkling, and her slim figure belied her position of cook.

Soon after she was shown to the guest room where she would be sleeping until she could manoeuvre the house. "I'm sorry it is so plain, but it is only temporary." Gabriel said after Missy glanced around the crimson and silver room. The four-post bed had a black velvet canopy, and a white lace spilling from under the heavy velvet. The velvet was tied to each of the corners, and the lace left hanging down in the spaces between. There was nothing in or on the armoire, and a full-length mirror was standing in a corner. Missy looked up at him incredulously.

"This? This is anything but plain, Gabriel. This is… This is stunning." She said, sighing lightly. Gabriel shrugged.

"This is nothing compared to your own rooms, Melissa." He said. Missy smiled and Gabriel said a quick goodnight before leaving, telling her that the therapist would soon be entering the room to assist her.

Missy's jacket was already sitting on the bed, and she wheeled the chair over, digging into the pocket. She pulled out the sheet of paper Taylor had wrote his number on and set it on her bedside table, then set the jacket onto a chair next to the armoire. The door opened again and a small woman entered, her light brown hair short and dyed black at the tips. She had a warm smile that appeared when she saw Missy. "Hey there, kiddo. How d'yer legs feel tonight?" She asked idly, crouching down in front of her. Missy shrugged and the woman held out a pair of shorts. "You'll need to wear these whenever we work together," She said, handing them to Missy.

_In my field of paper flowers_

_And candy clouds of lullabies_

"Do you want me to put them on now?" Missy asked. The woman nodded, and turned to leave.

"I'll be back in fifteen minutes, you should be changed and seated on the floor by then." The woman said before leaving out the door once more. Missy eyed the shorts, black with a silky feeling, rasping lightly beneath her fingertips. She pushed herself off of the chair and onto the floor, where she lay down on her back. She pulled her jeans off with little difficulty, then, with a short struggle, had the shorts pulled up and over her hips. She pushed herself so that she lay against the bed, leaning against the mattress, and waited.

True to her word, the woman returned at the end of a total of fifteen minutes, a soda in one hand and oils in another, bandages tucked underneath her arm. "My name is Raylee, by the by," She said, setting the soda onto the bedside table, along with the oils and bandages. "I'm your therapist, as I'm sure you've gathered, and also, your nurse. Now, I assure you that by the time three weeks are done, that wheelchair will be a thing of the past." She said, neatly lowering herself into a cross-legged position on the floor.

"I'm Melissa, and I am looking forward to no longer needing the wheelchair, I must admit." Missy said, smiling at the woman briefly. Raylee nodded and gestured for Missy's left leg.

"Enough of the chitchat, give me your leg and we will get to work." She said.

Two weeks passed, and Missy spent the days in a quiet peacefulness. Her mornings she spent in the east garden, underneath a tree, curled up on the grass in the middle of a circle of bushes and flowers. Her afternoons were spent between horseback riding, which Raylee insisted was therapy in itself, and time at the lake. She saw no one from the lake; according to Gabriel, the Malfoy's were off in Bulgaria visiting old friends. She had the lands to herself, and enjoyed every minute of it, riding through the fields in skirts, her shirt partially unbuttoned under the sun. She felt no modesty as she stepped out of the beach house and walked through the beach in only her bathing suit. She felt that she should have some modesty, that it was what she was supposed to feel, but she was met with only a sense of overwhelming freedom.

She had spent that morning as she had done normally, underneath the tree. Unlike most days, however, when she returned, Gabriel was nowhere to be seen. She made her slow way up the stairs, as per Raylee's orders, and made her way to her room. She had spent the week before in the gable, and this week she had decided to stay in the room that overlooked the orchards. She entered the room and made her way to the armoire, pulling it open and gazing inside, leafing though the clothes. She pulled out, finally, a light white skirt that swirled around her ankles and a white button up blouse, a lacy white spaghetti strap underneath. She dressed slowly, sitting on the bed, and pulled on her white sneakers she used every day. They were comfortable, and granted easy, and longer, walking. She dressed and pulled her hair into a half-clip, the top up and the bottom flowing over her shoulders.

She stood and made her way downstairs again, clinging to the banister as she walked unsteadily down the staircase. She moved into the parlour for a quick breakfast, considering what she could do for the rest of the as she walked, her hand out and brushing the wall as she moved through the halls. She had decided on horseback riding halfway through her meal when there was a knock at the front door, and as Gabriel wasn't home, Missy stood, glancing back at her half-eaten breakfast before continuing to the entrance hall. She straightened out her skirt as she stood in front of the door and then, with shaky knees, opened the door.

A white haired man with a beard reaching to his knees, a navy robe on, was standing on the porch, his eyes sparkling behind his glasses. She recognized him, somewhat, and gazed at him. He stuck out his hand and smiled. "I know you may not remember me, but I am your Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore." He said. Missy shook his head and gestured him in.

"We have been expecting you for sometime, Professor. Unfortunately, you have come at a time when my guardian isn't at home." She said, shutting the door behind the Professor as he entered.

"But I didn't come to speak to Gabriel, I came to speak to you." He said lightly, gazing around.

Missy smiled. "Then, shall we move this to the parlour, instead of the entrance hall?" She suggested. The Professor smiled and nodded, and Missy led the way. Her breakfast had been cleared, and she gestured for the Headmaster to take a seat. He did, and Missy sank into the couch opposite him.

Dumbledore smiled and began to speak. "I'm afraid I will have to make this quick, as things at the school still need arranging." He said, and Missy nodded.

"I understand." She said shortly.

"In that case, let me begin. You have been going to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry since the age of ten, Ms. Valero." Missy started.

"Excuse me?" She asked, blinking quickly.

"Indeed. You are a witch." He said. That made a strange sort of sense to Missy, and she knew it was true. "You will be re-sorted on entrance, and free to make your own path, without the memory of your previous. You will be introduced as Melissa Valero, pureblood heiress to the Valero family fortune, transferred from a school called "London Witch's Academy", a small school, unheard of unless on acceptance, and only the most elite in foreign children are accepted. Your father, Gabriel, longed for you to get away from the stiff upbringing that was being enforced on you in the school, and arranged for that transfer. You have no mother, as she died when you were very young." He paused. "I think that should do for any questions from the students, and any others I am sure you can fill in." Missy frowned.

_I lie inside myself for hours_

_And watch my purple sky fly over me_

"But, why can't you just tell me my real past?" She asked, staring at the man. "I want to know who I am, who I was, what happened, why I was on that plane!" She said loudly, standing up. The man who she was sure would finally tell her the truth, fill her in on her missing past, was holding it all back? She couldn't, wouldn't comprehend his reasoning.

"Ms. Valero, you must understand that this is all for your own good. In the wizarding world, there is a man known by most as You-Know-Who, but who has taken the name Lord Voldemort, who would stop at nothing to destroy the muggle, or non-magical, world. In your past, you were more than completely against his rule. I want you to know only that, were he to know you were alive and, indeed, right under some of his followers noses, your life would be in danger." He paused. "Your accident caused the doctors to change your appearance enough that you will be recognized as who you once were, although some may find something of a resemblance in you. You plan to dye your hair black, and so that will discourage any over thinking on that aspect either." He glanced at her over his glasses. "I have already told you more than I intended to… But remember that once your memory returns, you will be able to return to your old life, if that is what you wish." Missy was gaping, now, and stood shakily along with the Professor. He led the way to the entrance hall this time, his robes swishing.

As soon as he said his farewells and left, Missy turned and made her way outside to the stable that was located not far from the Valero house. She had the groom saddle her horse, a gentle mare that she had claimed over the time she was there, and then climbed onto the brown mare with slight assistance from the groom. She kicked the horse lightly and the horse took off in a run, leaving the stables and heading instinctively to the large empty field behind the Malfoy Manor. She rode there each day, and then through the bushes and into a sleepy little clearing with a spring and a small waterfall that she loved to sit at and dream of her previous life.

She turned the horse into the field and gave her more reins, causing the mare to pick up speed as the pressure on the bit in her mouth was lessened. Her skirts billowed around her legs, the wind picking up the loose fabric to that it swirled around her thighs. Her shirt, unbuttoned at the bottom, was flipping back around her waist, and her hair was falling loose of the clip. Her cheeks became flushed, and she allowed the mare to run freely through the field, turning as she wished, as Missy contemplated everything she had learned. Being a witch, having magic, indeed having gone to a school for magic for the past five years… All things she would have expected to remember. Especially that she was in danger, from someone who seemed to be quite dangerous. That most wouldn't even refer to him by his name was a measure in itself of the fear they held for him. That she was a target showed more than anything Dumbledore had said about her importance.

She picked up the reins once more and turned the mare towards the tree line, where the path to the glade was almost invisible. She stopped at the beginning of the path and shook her head. "We should head home, Jezebel. Maybe he's home." She said shortly, running her hand over the mare's neck. She turned the horse towards the Valero home and kicked her lightly in the sides.

The house was in sight when she saw Gabriel's car pull into the driveway. She hurried Jezebel into a gallop, and then slid off as soon as the groom had hold of the reins. She gave Jezebel an affectionate pat and then turned, heading towards the house she had made her home. She entered through the parlour door and headed towards the entrance hall. Gabriel was peeling his jacket off, standing in front of the closet, and Missy took up a spot near the stairs, her arms crossed and her eyes bearing into his back. "Yes Melissa?" Gabriel asked without turning around.

"Did you know?" She asked, her voice wavering. Gabriel turned around, confusion etched across his face. "Did you know what I was? Was that another thing that was kept from me?" She asked, sinking onto the stairs. Gabriel sighed and came to sit next to her.

"I did. Professor Dumbledore sent me a letter by owl post, which is what wizards use, asking me to care for you. I was to keep you safe, at least until your memory returned on its own accord. We couldn't tell you your past and have you not remember the basics, and then find out that there would be consequences. I didn't want to know your past, so that I couldn't slip up." He paused. "I know only one thing. You were a fifth year, now sixth year at Hogwarts, and you were in danger because of Voldemort. Aside from that, you know as much, or maybe more, than me." Missy sighed.

"I'm just so sick of not knowing anything about myself." Gabriel smiled and stood.

"Did you want to dye your hair now? I have some things already that will make your immersion into the wizarding world easier." Missy stood up, following Gabriel to the kitchen.

* * *

Song: Imaginary, Evanescence. 

Hope you enjoyed. Review!

Mistress B


	3. The Discovering

Disclaimer: Aside from those things mentioned here that are not in any of the brilliant J.K.Rowlings' novels, such as Gabriel, Taylor, Raylee, and, of course Gabriel's home, I do not own a single thing in this story. To, of course, my utter dismay.

A/N: Hope you enjoy this as much as I am enjoying writing it!

Thanks go out to Spacesareoverrated, who reviewed the second chapter. I hope this chapter is as uncliche as the last!

* * *

The Chosen Path

Chapter Three: The Discovering

Mistress B

_"You hold the answers deep within your own mind._

_Consciously, you've forgotten it._

_That's the way the human mind works._

_Whenever something is too unpleasant, to shameful for us_

_to entertain, we reject it._

_We erase it from our memories._

_But the imprint is always there."_

Her hair, now black, was shining under the light as she sat cross-legged on the floor, reading over Transfiguration and Charms books. Potions she had long finished, years one through five. Gabriel had brought in an old friend of his, one Mr. Ollivander, who had provided her with a wand, his eyes sparkling as she waved a thirteen inch wand of ash and dragon heartstring, a shower of silver particles bursting from the end. He had smiled and nodded, packing away the others he had brought out, then began speaking with Gabriel. She had examined the wand idly, her fingers exploring every inch of it. Gabriel had also stacked up a number of textbooks on the end of the table, and she sat on the floor, pulling them down next to her. She had spent that day, and the next, and throughout that week studying those books. That day she had dressed, a simple white skirt, as usual, along with a white shirt, and headed downstairs again. She was attempting some simple spells, each time she finished one she headed to the next. She found she mastered them quickly, probably since she had learned them before. It was all a matter of reacquainting her mind with them, Gabriel said.

Gabriel had came into the room an hour before, laughing and telling her to be finished by three, as the Malfoy's were coming to meet her and to have dinner, since they had been gone the whole summer, longer than they had planned. They had returned the day that Gabriel had brought Ollivander back, after being held up in Bulgaria. She knew already that they were an influential wizarding family, who had ties in the "Ministry of Magic."

She glanced at the clock and shut her charms book, placing it on the stack of other schoolbooks Gabriel had brought. Tomorrow was going to be her last day at home, the day after they were to spend the last week in the wizarding part of London. She stood, using the coffee table to lever herself and sighed. The Malfoy's would be there within four minutes, if they were going to come on time. She looked in a mirror, straightening her hair. It was beautiful, the black shimmering and falling straight over her shoulders. She had considered finding some way to change the colour of her eyes to the ice blue of Gabriel's, but the caramel had a bewitching quality, and she loved the multi-faceted way they sparkled.

She had asked Gabriel to straighten her hair, and he had gladly done so, finally taking out the wand she had had yet to see. She had raised an eyebrow and shook her head, he had laughed lightly. Her hair no longer was the frizzy mass she had awoken to; instead a black curtain that fell over her shoulders to the middle of her back.

She ran her fingers through the strands, pulling a ponytail off of her wrist and tying up her hair twisting it into a simple bun, pulling a few strands out, her bangs framing her face, level with her lips in the longest part, the tip of her nose at the shortest. She brushed them to either side, smiling lightly and turning to the doorway, leaving the study and walking through the halls, heading towards the parlour where Gabriel had told her that she could wait, running her fingers along the wall as she walked.

_Can't wash it all away, can't wish it all away_

_Can't hope it all away, can't cry it all away_

This house had quickly become her home, the only home she could remember, and the only home she knew. Aside from the foggy half-memories of the small house and the two people, she didn't have any memory of her life, and what she assumed was her home, before the accident. She was making new memories, to fill those that had been erased before.

She entered the parlour and stopped in the doorway, surprised to see three people already sitting there with Gabriel. "Ah, Melissa. Just in time." Gabriel smiled and stood, gesturing for her to sit on the couch that he sat on. The three people were on the sofa across from the one Gabriel sat on, and they all looked so alike. All three had platinum blonde hair, all with fair skin. She walked smoothly into the parlour and to the sofa Gabriel had gestured to, smiling politely at the three. "This is Lucius Malfoy, his wife Narcissa, and their son Draco." Missy nodded to each as they were named, sinking into the couch in hidden relief, her legs shaking under the long, loose skirt she wore. "Lucius, this is my daughter Melissa." Lucius looked over at her, as if appraising, and nodded.

"I'm sure you must be proud." He said shortly. Narcissa was smiling warmly at her, her dark blue eyes so different to Gabriel's, and yet so similar in the warmth that was there. Draco was an intriguing mix of his parents, his father's calculating unconcern and pride, yet underneath that, she could see the curiosity that he was attempting to cover with cold indifference. Gabriel nodded and looked at Missy, his eyes sparkling.

"I couldn't ask for a better daughter." Missy felt herself blush lightly, and she smiled lightly. She had never heard him praise her, in any way. It felt good, to hear him say it. She stopped listening when it became clear there would be no words to her, although at any mention of her name she would once more listen. Finally, she was called on.

"So Melissa, where were you schooled until now? You have the mark of the genteel, and my son says he has never met a Valero at Hogwarts." Missy smiled.

_The pain that grips you, the fear that binds you, releases life in me, _

_In our mutual shame, we hide our eyes, to blind them from the truth_

_That finds a way from who we are_

"A little known school in downtown London, the London's Witches Academy. Its whole purpose is to school the daughters of higher-class foreign wizarding families, and only upon acceptance is a family informed of its presence. The Academy starts schooling even before the students of the other wizarding schools, and by the age of nine we are there throughout the year. We stay there throughout the summer so that our schooling will not be interrupted, and along with the essences of wizarding, we learn of the ways of polite society." She said. Lucius raised an eyebrow and glanced at Gabriel.

"And you removed her from what sounds to be an ideal school, for Hogwarts?" He asked incredulously. Gabriel just laughed and glanced over at Missy, inviting her to fill it in. He seemed to be wondering why he would have taken her out himself. Missy smiled.

"My father explained to me that, what with mother having died so long ago, he didn't wish for me to become what they tried to shape me into, emotionless, moving by function only, without any longing to do the things they had taught me. He said, that since mother was not here to teach me to do them with emotion, I shouldn't learn to do them without. Our whole lives in that school are based around rules, with no freedoms whatsoever. We cannot dance, we cannot write except to our families. We have no friends, no acquaintances outside of out classes and roommates. It is, essentially, a cold upbringing. Father longed for me to enjoy the freedoms he had as a child." She smiled, remembering Gabriel's recounting of his childhoods. "To be able to ride horses, to be able to sit outside in the mornings, to watch the sun set and the moon rise, without the pressures of strict lessons and teachings to mar the perfection of it all." She paused. "Most of all, I believe he just missed being able to see me during the summers." She smiled as she finished.

Lucius still seemed confused as to why Gabriel would have removed her from the fictional school, her explanations seeming to endear him to the ideas of the school. His liking of what seemed to her a horrid idea confused her. She said nothing, because the shock in Narcissa's eyes seemed to make up for it. Even Draco seemed confused by the idea of no freedoms. Gabriel nodded.

"Indeed. I hated that she could no longer remember the summers in our Italian estates, not remembering the walks in the orchards or vineyards, not remembering when she learned to ride horseback." Missy smiled, glad that he had inserted something into what seemed to her a long excuse. The Malfoy's seemed to be a fine family, to what she could tell within an hour of meeting them, and, aside from Lucius' apathy, an accepting family. She supposed that it could be because they thought of her as the heiress to Gabriel's fortunes, but she couldn't be sure at all.

They sat in the parlour for another hour, idle chatter filling the room. Finally, Gabriel turned to her. "Melissa, why don't you take young Mr. Malfoy and show him the rest of the house? He had never been in our home." Missy stood and smiled.

"I'd be glad to, Father." She said, and then turned to Draco. "Do you wish to see the rest of the house?" She asked politely. Draco glanced at Lucius, who nodded sharply, and stood.

"Alright then." He said. It was the first thing that she had heard him say throughout the two hours that they had been sitting in the parlour. His voice had a smooth quality, so reminiscent of Lucius' smooth talking ways, the inherent charm that she knew he inevitably possessed shown in his words. She led the way out of the parlour, her skirts swirling around the tops of her sandals as she left the room. After Draco left the room, she shut the door, and softly let out a deep breath. Draco chuckled to her side, and she looked over, an eyebrow raised.

"What, if I may ask, is so funny?" She said, leading the way through the halls to the entrance hall.

Draco shook his head. "You don't need to be so stuffy any more, my father can be intimidating, but he isn't psychic." Missy blushed and lifted her chin.

_Please don't be afraid, when the darkness fades away,_

_The dawn will break the silence, screaming in our hearts_

"I'm not stuffy." She said softly, stopping beside the staircase that led to the upper floors. "Where first. The upstairs, or the ground floor?" She asked idly. He answered her by starting up the stairs. She winced and began ascending. She had been hoping he would want to see the ground floor first, allowing her legs to once more get used to walking, since she hadn't been using them much over the past week. She reached the landing just after he did, and then led him to the left where the top part of the library was. The bottom part was reached on the first floor, large double doors just to the side of the entrance hall the only way in or out on the bottom floor. They could reach the bottom part from the top by descending a steep staircase, but Missy never did. She instead went down the front stairs, which weren't as steep as the ones in the library.

Draco glanced in as she opened the door and his eyes widened. "Wow." He said simply.

Missy smiled. "My father prides himself on the design of this library." She said. She moved to the railing, and looked down on the bottom part of the library. Throughout the room, books covered the walls, and where there weren't shelves there were murals of exquisite quality, depicting a wide range of scenes, from a fishing boat in a harbour, to a hunting scene in a large forest. The floor of the bottom level was of golden coloured tiles, in the centre another scene, this one of what Missy assumed was a variety of gods and goddesses. "Gabriel drew each of them himself, and found artists to transfer them to the murals and the floor." She pointed to the roof. "That he didn't design, but he did take the description from a book and draw it as he saw it."

It was a pale sun; a swirling that surrounded it that vaguely resembled the shapes of millions of people, souls. It was foggy, and it seemed to her that whenever she looked the souls were indeed moving in an endless circle about the sun. She had been surprised to enter the library the day after she found out about her true identity, that of a witch. She had entered, intent on finding a book on witches and wizards, to find that the murals were all moving about. She had had a delightful chat with the father and son on the fishing boat. She turned to look at Draco, who was looking at her weirdly. "You called your father by his name?" He asked. Missy shrugged.

"I always do." She said shortly, leaving the library. Draco caught up with her as she headed down the hall, pointing to doors and naming them off as guest bedrooms.

"I know someone who would have gone crazy just at the sight of that library, bookworm as she is." Draco said idly, glancing back. Missy smiled and looked over at him.

"Really? Your girlfriend, maybe?" She asked, opening the door to one of her rooms.

Draco looked shocked at the question. "No. She's a muggle-born, not to mention a Gryffindor." The fact that this girl was a Gryffindor seemed to faze him more than her birth, and Missy smiled. Gabriel had said that he didn't suspect that Draco had quite the same loathing of all things muggle that his father had, and Draco himself had proved this.

"Gryffindor?" She asked, sinking onto her bed as Draco walked over to the window, looking out over the orchards.

_My love for you still grows, this I do for you_

_Before I try to fight the truth my final time_

"You know, one of the houses in Hogwarts. There are four. Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor. Gryffindor is full of golden students, brave, courageous, chivalrous, and downright perfect in every way." He said sarcastically. "Ravenclaw is full of the smart ones, intent on learning, cleverness and wit, Hufflepuff for any that didn't quite fit into any of the others, although they say it is for those who are loyal and hardworking, while Slytherin is full of cunning students, who aren't afraid to use any means to get what they want, full of ambition. Last year we learned more about the founders, who made the school and the different houses, and we learned what they had wanted for the school. Slytherin wanted only those who were pureblooded, Gryffindor wanted those who were brave. Ravenclaw only wanted those who were intelligent, and Hufflepuff didn't really care, wanting to teach them all without favourites. Since they had their own houses and decided whom it was they taught, they each took what they wanted. Slytherin only taught pure-blood witches and wizards who were cunning, Gryffindor took the brave ones, Ravenclaw the smart ones, and Hufflepuff took the leftovers." He turned and leaned against the windows. "It's a big deal to most, the sorting. It shows what kind of person you are, in a way. If you're in Hufflepuff, it is usually is a bad sign." He said, grinning.

Missy rolled her eyes and grinned. "Anyways, Melissa, are we going to finish the tour, or just sit in your room?" He asked. Missy grinned and stood up, ignoring the shaking in her legs.

She led the way back downstairs and they finished the tour quickly. They sat outside until they were called inside again, and then made their way to the formal dining area.

Dinner was lovely that night, the cook not disappointing anybody. When dinner was over, her and Draco went out to the stables, gearing up two horses and heading out to ride. It was, all in all, a nice day, and when she finally fell into bed that night, she did so looking forward to school for the first time.

* * *

She had spent her last day at home with Draco and Gabriel, horseback riding and sitting around the house, enjoying her day. The next morning, they had left home by 'floo', which had scared Missy to begin with, but proved to be easy, if a little dirty. They had checking into the Leaky Cauldron, a tavern and inn near the alley where the wizarding world was very, very apparent, one Diagon Alley, and then spent the first day in the bank, Gringotts, having her added to Gabriel's accounts. She received her own key, which she had slipped onto a simple golden chain and tucked into her shirt, and a large purse of the strange coins. Gabriel had seen her eyeing the coins and laughed, explaining them quietly to her. "Galleons are the golden coins, Sickles the silver and Knuts the bronze. There are seventeen Sickles in a Galleon and twenty nine Knuts in a Sickle." He said in her ear. She nodded and they had headed to the hotel where they spent the rest of that day, Gabriel acquainting her with the world she had become so suddenly immersed in. 

The next day, they had headed to the bookstore for that year's books, then to a robe shop for her school outfit. Gabriel had paid a high price for her robes, having silk placed on the inside, the black silk shimmering and delightful against her bare arms.

The cloak he had made with a fur lining on the inside for extra warmth, the silver fastenings that were required went far past plain, engraved with roses and, barely perceptible, a fox underneath the tangle of the rosebushes. Missy felt, in a way, that it personified her, the core of her, or the fox, hidden away beneath layers of roses so that no one could see her; no one would know she was there unless they already knew. It was beautiful, in itself, and she had been delighted. They had gotten dragon skin gloves, as required, and had had the whole lot bundled into a bag that Gabriel carried.

"_We're supposed to try and be real. And I feel alone, and we're not together._

_And that is real."_

They had spent the whole day in different stores, Missy's face lit up with excitement, Gabriel showing her all the different things that made the wizarding world wonderful. She had gasped when she saw the empty store with the sign proclaiming it as "Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 BC", but Gabriel had lay his hand on his shoulder and bent down to her ear. "He is on an extended vacation," he had said as an explanation. She suspected that Ollivander had been in danger what with Voldemort out to take over the wizarding world. She ended that day with numerous school things, and a golden owl that Gabriel had spent an hour deciding on, a female who was graceful in flight and beautiful in manner. Missy named her Aphrodite, and Gabriel had shown her the basics of owl care and the owl post. She had lay that night on her side, looking over at Aphrodite who sat perched on her bedside table, her golden eyes looking into Missy's caramel.

When she woke with the sun on her face, the soft hooting of Aphrodite in her ear, she smiled and sat up slowly, her eyes scanning the room that Gabriel had rented for her. She pushed back the covers and threw her legs over the side of the bed, her toes touching the cool hardwood floors and recoiling, and then slowly she set them onto the ground. It was getting cold far too soon, in her opinion, but the end of August steadily approached, and the mornings got cooler. She had the next six days to herself, to spend as she saw fit, while Gabriel went about the town on business. She yawned and walked to the window, opening the lacy curtain and smiling softly.

She dressed quickly that day, a long blue skirt with velvet trim and a white tank top, a blue coat overtop, and grabbed the slip of paper that had Taylor's number on it from the nylon jacket she had returned it to before coming to Diagon Alley. She gave Aphrodite some food and then left the room, locking it behind her. She left the inn and walked through the streets, stopping for a butter beer at the Leaky Cauldron, leaving the alley with it's numerous empty shops behind her and emerging into muggle London and heading towards an inn where she knew she would find a telephone.

She entered the first one she came to, one "Golden Leopard Inn and Tavern," and made her way towards the counter. "Hello, I was wondering if you happened to have a phone that I could use to make a quick phone call?" She asked the bartender, who grunted and looked up at her from wiping the counter.

_Can't wash it all away, can't wish it all away,_

_Can't cry it all away, can't scratch it all away._

"Yeh can use the one behind the bar 'ere." He said idly, pointing off to his right. "Take a seat an' I'll hand it over to yeh." Missy nodded her thanks and took a seat on one of the stools that were placed in front of the bar, tapping her fingers on the counter in a random tune and glancing around the room. These people didn't know about the alley that was just down the street, of the war that was raging in the world right then, about anything that she herself had just learned. She found it fascinating that those who thought themselves so intelligent, who believed they had rid themselves of nearly all mysteries, could be so in the dark.

The bartender placed the phone down in front of her and made his way to the other end of the bar, serving another man. She picked the receiver up off of the cradle and pressed the number in, then held the receiver up to her ear, listening to the ringing. A deep voice answered with a yawn, and she couldn't help but to yawn. "I'm looking for Taylor." She said.

"Speaking. Who's this?" He asked. Missy smiled.

"Did you forget me that easily? And here I though that I was the one with memory problems." She said teasingly, cradling the phone between her shoulder and her ear.

"Miss? Is that you?" He asked, sounding instantly awake. Missy laughed.

"Yeah. Although I go by Missy now, or Melissa." She said.

"Lord, I've missed our talks. Now work is so unbearable," Taylor said. Missy smiled and nodded.

"Yes, me too. Which is why I phoned. I'm in London right now." She said, glancing once more around the room. The bartender was already pointing to his watch and Missy nodded.

"Where at? I'll come see you." Missy smiled and held up her finger to the bartender, asking silently for one minute. The bartender nodded but frowned.

"I'm at the Golden Leopard Inn," She said. "Do you know where that is?" She asked.

"Aye, I do. I'll be there in a few minutes, alright?" Missy smiled.

"Alright. Now I have to go, the bartender looks like he is putting me on his hit list." Taylor laughed and they said a quick goodbye, and then Missy hung up, pushing the phone back towards the tender.

"So much fer a quick call." He said scornfully. Missy sighed.

"I am dreadfully sorry, sir." She said, although she had considered the call short in its entirety. "I didn't mean for the call to drag on so long." She said, shrugging.

_Lying beside you, listening to you breathe,_

_The life that flows inside of you, burns inside of me._

The man grunted and shook his head, then came to stand in front of her. "Would yeh like summat to drink while yeh wait fer yer friend?" He asked, picking up a glass. Missy smiled and nodded. "Is a soft drink 'nuff fer yeh, Ma'am. Don't stock nothing else that is legal fer one yer age." He said.

"It'd be more than enough, good sir." She said laying down a few muggle coins that Gabriel had given her when she had told him her plans. He had business in the Muggle world on a regular basis, and so had Muggle money as well as Wizarding.

She sat at the counter sipping the soft drink the bartender brought to her, tapping her fingers on the counter as she waited. Not twenty minutes later, she saw a familiar sandy haired figure step into the room. "Taylor!' She called out, standing up and walking towards him, smiling brightly. He smiled as she walked to him, and then hugged her tightly.

"It's been too long, Missy." He said softly, his fingers ran through her hair. "You've gone black on me. Where's the brown hair girl I knew a few weeks ago?" He asked. Missy shrugged and buried her face in his shoulder.

"I wanted something to which I had control over, and the only thing I could think of was my hair," She said, her arms wrapping around his neck. "Do you not like it?" She asked. He chuckled.

"As long as I can see you, I love it." He said, his hands rubbing her back lightly. He lightly pushed her to arms length and smiled down at her. "What have you been doing? You've obviously been well," He said, looking at her expensive clothing. Missy shrugged.

"This was all given to me by Gabriel. He had become a sort of father to me. He gave me his last name, temporary if I so wish, until I can remember my own. He has told me that he plans on keeping as a daughter no matter what, if only in his own mind." She smiled and then grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the counter where her drink still sat. "But what have you been up to in the weeks I have been gone? I have missed you so much, and this was the first chance I have had to get a hold of you." She said, pushing him onto the stool beside hers. He laughed and flagged the bartender over, asking for a drink and then turning towards her once more.

_Hold and speak to me, of love without a sound_

_Tell me you will live through this, and I will die for you._

"There hasn't been much going on with me. As usual, I am working almost all the time, looking after patients that have no chance of an emergency, since I haven't finished even my first year of schooling," He said, taking a drink of the beer the tender set down. "My room mate moved out, so I've been working even more than usual to try and keep up with the payments on my apartment." Missy blushed.

"I had woken you when I phoned you, didn't I? And when you've been working so hard," She said, biting her lip. Taylor laughed and shook his head, reaching out to pat her hand.

"I'd rather visit with you than sleep, Miss." He said lightly.

They spent three hours in that inn, talking and catching up. Missy told him she was being sent to school in Italy, though it killed her to say it. She knew he wouldn't understand what Hogwarts was, so she felt it was better not to bother trying to explain her life. When they finally parted was, Missy back to Diagon Alley, Taylor back to his apartment to try and catch a few hours of sleep, it was with a sense of dread on Missy's part. She was afraid that Taylor would forget her before Christmas, when they had agreed to meet again.

Her walk back to the Leaky Cauldron was silent and slow; no longer did she glance in all the stores that she passed, no longer did she smile at every person she saw. When she entered the Leaky Cauldron, she did so with a sense of regret, for she knew that she would never have a true friend outside of the world she knew she belonged in, no matter what she wanted. She made her way to her room and was greeted by a hoot from Aphrodite. Missy walked to the armoire she was perched on and held out her arm, glad when the golden owl stepped gently from the dresser to her arm, her talons gripped lightly on her skin. She walked to the window and sat on the sill, opening the window and setting Aphrodite next to her. She sat that way for a long time, silently stroking the owl as she contemplated everything, her back against the window frame and her knees against her chest.

She fell asleep in that position, and only awoke when she heard the rustle of Aphrodite's wings as the owl left the room, going to hunt. She yawned and, with one last look out at the moon, went to the bed and fell asleep once more.

* * *

Four days she spent doing whatever she wished, only asking permission when she wished to leave Diagon Alley to venture in muggle London. She had strict orders never to go to Knockturn Alley, and with one look all curiosity was quenched, and she no longer wanted to even consider stepping foot down that offshoot of Diagon Alley. She only went into Muggle London once more those four days, and only for some shoes, a pair that were good-looking as well as comfortable. She didn't suspect that she would need them at school, but she bought them anyways. 

The last day had arrived, and she awoke with a spring in her step and looking forward to the next day. She would be heading to King's Cross Station early in the morning, so she would be there by eleven o'clock. She went down to the common parlour, where she got a quick breakfast of eggs and toast. She sat down there until noon, watching the different patrons entering and leaving the room. At noon, she returned to her room, where she knew Gabriel would have a new trunk waiting for her to fill with her things. She had been making due with numerous suitcases, and at the thought of a large trunk, she couldn't help but smile. One single trunk, and less packing and worry.

_Cast me not away, say you'll be with me_

_For I know I cannot bear it all alone_

As she expected, a large wooden trunk, rather ornate in its entirety, was sitting at the edge of her bed, empty and awaiting her clothing and books. Another, smaller trunk sat off to the side a bit, and she smiled. She knew there was the odd chance she would require the second trunk, and was glad Gabriel had provided her what she could possibly end up needing with all of the things Gabriel had bought her over the summer. She opened the trunk and glanced inside, surprised to see that the trunk wasn't as empty as she had expected it to be. At the bottom a small package sat, the wrapping gold and silver and the bow a light lavender. She pulled it out of the trunk and sat on the bed, the package, no bigger than the palm of her hand, held gently in her fingers.

She pulled at the bow and the ribbon fell away, the silky fabric sliding between her fingers to lie upon her lap, and the shimmering wrapping soon sat on the bed beside her. The box was dark blue, a light velvety texture when she rubbed the tip of her finger over it. She opened the box slowly and gasped at the contents.

A necklace was snuggled in the cushion, a snake twined around a rose's stem, its eyes of emerald, the rose and snake made of silver. Her wide eyes caressed the beautiful necklace and the ring that lay in the middle of the silver chain, the silver band plain, with small diamonds inset into the fine metal. She smiled and her finger tentatively reached out and lightly touched the necklace, as though afraid that the pendant would crumble beneath to heavy a hand.

She shakily shut the box and placed the small package on her bed, turning to view the trunk that still awaited her things. She couldn't put aside her packing any longer, as the hours seemed to pass quickly in Diagon Alley. She glanced at the clock, and sure enough, it inched towards one, already more than three-quarters of the way to one o'clock. She brought all of her suitcases from the wall where she had them stacked, along with the numerous packages of custom made clothing and the like, and set them near the trunk, leaving a space in front of it for her to sit. She put one of the pillows onto the floor and then knelt down slowly, easing onto the floor. She began neatly folding her clothes and placing them into the trunk, making neat piles and ever mindful of the clock. She needed to be dressed at six, for her and Gabriel were to be joining the Malfoy's for one last dinner before they were off to school for the year. She was near done when she glanced up at the clock at 5:30, and quickly glanced round the room. She still needed to pack one suitcase of clothes and her school equipment.

"_You're not alone, honey."_

"_Never… Never."_

She nodded and stood, pulling a dress out of the suitcase she hadn't yet transferred to the trunk, a dark grey dress that reached the floor, a straight skirted dress that had no sleeves and was fitted to her torso. She pulled it on eyeing the scars that marred her legs before she covered them with the silky fabric. Her black hair she gathered into a clip at the back of her head, the strands firmly in place and quite to her standards when Gabriel knocked on her door.

She let him in and made her way once more to the mirror, eyeing the make-up that covered the stand. She pulled to her some dark eye shadow, grey eyeliner, and light mascara, that she applied skilfully to her eyes, and swiped a natural looking gloss over her lips. She had grown accustomed to the still-strange contours of her face, and had learned, with the help of Raylee, who despite appearances knew quite a lot about makeup and the like, how to skilfully place any type of makeup upon her face. She didn't use much despite her knowledge, and after one last look, nodded and dabbed her neck lightly with an expensive perfume.

_Can't fight it all away, can't hope it all away_

_Can't scream it all away, it just won't fade away, no._

She turned and slid a pair of strappy sandals on her feet, glad that despite the scars that decorated her legs, her ankles and feet remained unmarred. She nodded and smiled at Gabriel, who laughed and held out his arm to escort her to the car that she knew awaited outside. They would be dining in the muggle London, at an expensive restaurant, and she was looking forward to her last night with Gabriel.

Gabriel's car was indeed waiting for them in front of the Leaky Cauldron, and as Missy slid into the leather seats, she was sad to think that she would be away from the man who had so quickly filled her heart, became her father. She smiled lightly as he entered the car, pulling skilfully away from the curb and making his way through the busy London streets. She gazed out the window in silent contemplation, smiling and longing for the summer she would spend in Italy. Already she longed to feel the Italian winds, to step into the vineyards and orchards that Gabriel descried to her.

The dinner went quickly, and by ten, she found herself once more within her room, her eyelids heavy and her smile one of contentment. She knelt once more upon the ground, finished her packing, and shut the trunk's heavy lid. The dress she wore she would have Gabriel take to their home, because she knew she wouldn't need it at Hogwarts, and even should she happen to need a formal dress, she could go to Hogsmeade and buy one there.

She fell into bed that night tired and content to sleep one last night in the hotel, and then tomorrow, after a quick breakfast with Gabriel, heading to the train that would take her to her school.

_Can't wash it all away, can't wish it all away_

* * *

Her dreams were plagued with the sounds of screaming, of a dull roar that increased until it drowned out even the screams that echoed in her ears. Then, as if it was the cure to all her suffering, a soft voice arose in the depths of the roar, a sweet song that she knew instinctively. _"Goodnight, sleep tight, no more tears… In the morning I'll be here…"_ The roar lessened to a dull background hum, and the words grew to the sound of someone singing in her ear, a soft song sang to a child, a lullaby a mother soothingly sings to calm their child's fears. _"And when we say goodnight, dry your eyes because… We said goodnight and not goodbye… We said goodnight and not goodbye…"_The song ended, and as her eyes fluttered open to the darkness, the final words echoed once more in her mind. "We said goodnight and not goodbye…" She muttered tiredly, in agreement, and then turned and once more her caramel eyes fluttered shut.

"_But the imprint is always there. Nothing is ever really forgotten."_

"

* * *

Song: Understanding (Can't wash it all away), Evanescence

I hope you enjoyed it. Review!

Mistress B


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